


A Grandfather's Love

by Babyphd



Category: The West Wing
Genre: CJ Cregg - Freeform, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 19,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29246559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babyphd/pseuds/Babyphd
Summary: Jed pushes for an anti-bullying law after his granddaughter suffers an almost fatal bullying encounter.
Relationships: Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

When the phone rings in the middle of the night, the only thought of the President is that somewhere in the world there’s trouble. So, with a groan, Jed turned over and reached for the phone.

“Yes?” thinking he would hear Leo’s gravelly voice telling him he was needed in the Situation room. But it wasn’t his Chief of Staff’s voice he heard.

“Dad.”

Jed eyes flew open and his mind instantly became alert. “Liz? What time is it? What’s wrong?”

Her crying prevented any clear reply.

“Liz, honey, tell me what’s wrong. Please calm down and tell me what’s going on.”

Finally, her sobs eased enough to try and tell her father what was going on. “It’s Annie. She’s …the doctors…Dad, it’s bad. Is Mom there?”

“No, honey. She’s in California at a conference. What about Annie?”

Jed heard some static and another voice came on the line. “Jed, it’s me, Doug. Liz is really too upset. We’re at Manchester General and Annie has overdosed. The doctors don’t know yet with what or how but they are trying to make her breathe again. She was brought by ambulance about twenty minutes ago unresponsive. Our agents woke us up and got us here.”

“Wait a minute, Annie overdosed? She’s only 14. How did she get hold of drugs at her age?”

“Jed, they are all over the place. Apparently she went to a party after the football game, which we approved, and someone brought in alcohol and pills or something. We don’t know exactly what. Anyway, a couple of the kids are here as well. And none of them are in good shape. That’s all we know right now. Will you call Abbey and tell her? If at all possible, it would help us if she could come and be here. We have no idea which way this is going to go.”

“Of course, Doug. And Doug, watch out for the press. You know they will find out about this and start appearing. We’ll do our best from down here, but don’t make any statement. Do you hear me? I’m praying for Annie.”

“Thank you. And we understand about the press. I’ll keep in touch. Bye.”

“Do that. Bye.”

Jed hung up and looked at the bedside clock. Two am. That meant 11:00 on the west coast. He got out of bed and put on his robe because he figured his sleep was finished for the night.

Turning on more lights, he made his way to the sitting area and dialed Abbey’s cell number.

“Hi, Abbey.”

“Well, hi yourself. Wait a minute, shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I was until Liz called.” He then told her what was going on and Doug’s request.

“Of course I’ll go. I’ll let Marks know right now of my change in plans and then call Lili to change my schedule. Once on the plane, I’ll call Liz myself and get an update. I know you can’t come, but I’ll keep you updated. My God, Jed, not our Annie. She just has to make it.”

“Yeah, Abbey. I’m already saying prayers for her.”

There was a brief silence between the two of them before Abbey spoke again. “Well, I’ve got to get busy. I’ll call you in the morning once I check in with Liz and Doug. You try and go back to sleep. At least try to nap will you?”

“I will try, but I doubt I can.”

“I love you. Jed. It will be okay.”

“I love you too. Give Annie a kiss for me, will you?”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”


	2. Chapter 2

CJ heard her phone ring but put the pillow over her head. It kept ringing in the darkness, so after the fifth ring, she figured she had better answer it. Something might be happening and, if so, then it had to be Leo doing the calling.

“Yeah?”

“CJ, Leo. You need to get dressed and come in. Something’s going down and you need to be here to run interference.”

“Is it the President?” She asked, hoping that it wasn’t a medical crisis.

“Sort of. I’ll explain when you get in.”

“Okay. Give me thirty minutes.”

“Make it twenty.”

She hung up the phone and looked at the clock. 3:45 AM. It had to be something big to be called in at this hour. Must be some world crisis. Either way it was her job to handle the press twenty-four hours a day, including the middle of the night if that what it took.

As she walked through the communication bullpen, CJ noticed that no other Senior Staff member’s office had their lights on. That would be unusual if whatever was occurring was an international crisis. She put her coat and purse down and walked over to Leo’s office. Finding it empty, she saw a light on in the Oval Office and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” said the President.

CJ entered and saw the President dressed in jeans and a Norte Dame sweatshirt sitting in one of the high back chairs. Leo, as usual, was dressed in one of his custom-made suits and sitting beside him on one of the sofas.

“Thanks for coming in, CJ. Sorry to have disturbed your sleep.”

“No problem, Mr. President.”

“Pour yourself some coffee. Then sit down. I’ll update you.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

The two men waited until CJ had her coffee in hand and had seated herself on the other sofa in the room.

The President spoke first. “CJ, I got a phone call about an hour and a half ago from Liz in Manchester. She was at the hospital and Annie had been brought in with an overdose. As you know, Annie is 14. Turns out she had been to an after football game party, approved by her parents, where someone had brought in a good bit of alcohol and drugs. A group of kids apparently tried some of them. Annie was one of those kids. A few of them, Annie included, were then taken by ambulance to the ER, and treated for overdoses. Doug called later with more information. According to the agents on the scene, one boy has already died and all of the others are still unconscious and critical. Annie went into respiratory arrest in the ambulance, but she was successfully resuscitated in the ER. She is now on a ventilator in the pediatric section of the hospital. They are waiting for test results. Abbey has canceled her schedule in California and is now flying back to New Hampshire. Even without Liz requesting her presence, you know that she would move heaven and earth to be there. I have already told Ellie and Zoey of the situation.”

CJ was shocked. Never would she have thought she would be sitting in the Oval Office of President Bartlet talking about an overdose of his oldest grandchild.

“Sir, I don’t know what to say except how sorry I am.” She glanced over to Leo whose face, as usual, was blank.

Looking back at the President, she could see how worried he was about his granddaughter and probably wishing he could be there himself.

“Thank you, CJ. The Service is investigating how the alcohol and drugs were brought into the party and what Annie took. As far as anyone knows, Annie does not have a history of drinking or taking drugs and this might have been a dare or just something she wanted to experience. The only one that can tell us isn’t able to talk right now. Anyway, the reason I asked Leo to bring you in this early is that Doug has told me that the press in Manchester has already found out that Annie was at that party and has been admitted. And it will be national very soon. I want to make it very clear to the press that this is a personal, family matter and no one, absolutely no one, in our family is any type of addict or druggie. And until we get more information, more facts, then that is the statement from this White House. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Sir. Sir, will you be traveling to Manchester?”

Jed looked at Leo and then down at the floor.

CJ felt the tension between the two men but didn’t say a word.

After a long pause, the President finally responded. “CJ, I want to with all my heart, but I have a responsibility and duty to stay here for right now.”

“Yes, Sir. I understand.” She stood. “Thank you, Mr. President.” With those words, she exited the Oval Office and returned to her office to begin the handling of this crisis.

“I think that went well,” Leo stated to the President, careful not to upset him anymore than he was already.

Jed turned to Leo, his emotions mixed with resentment and resignation. “Leo, when Mallory has children and one of them gets hurt and you can’t get to them, you’ll understand how difficult it was for me to make that last statement to CJ. I know we decided that I was needed here, what with the unstable situation in Russia. But you also know how strong how I feel about being up there. How desperately I want to be there with my family. I recognize that right now the country needs me down here. I can only pray that Annie makes it. Because if she doesn’t, and I don’t get a chance to say goodbye to the sweetest granddaughter in the world, then you don’t want to be around what will be left of me.”

Jed stood up and walked over to the window behind the Resolute desk so he could gather his emotions together in private.

But before Jed turned, Leo saw the tears forming in his friend’s eyes and knew that Jed meant every word he was saying. He also knew that there would be no one who could put his friend back together if the worst occurred. So he prayed that they would not have to face that outcome.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Jed had showered, eaten breakfast and walked back down to the West Wing, the story about Annie was all over the national news. Along with the few facts, rumors and lies were also being reported. For example, CNN had a ‘source’ that was stating that Doug and Liz knew of Annie’s drug problems and had purposely hidden them from the press. Another one was that Annie ran with the drug crowd at school and had a history of snorting cocaine from fifth grade on.

CJ did her best to keep the focus on the facts, but there had been very few of them so the lies and rumors ran amuck with sometimes the facts getting lost in the sensational headlines.

In the meantime, Abbey had arrived in Manchester and had consulted with Annie’s doctors. They were still waiting on the drug screen results which would tell them what drugs had been in her system, but right now everyone was more concerned about her respiratory system which didn’t seem to be making much progress. Every time the doctor tried to cut down the ventilator, Annie couldn’t tolerate the decrease, and the machine had to be brought back up to its previous reading. Abbey knew that this indicated either possible brain damage in the respiratory area or lung damage. Neither diagnosis was positive.

Abbey’s agent knocked on the waiting room door and entered. “Excuse me. Ma’am, a lady is out here saying she’s Mrs. Stone. She says that her daughter, Miranda, is Annie’s best friend and was at the party last night with Annie. Do you want to talk with her?”

Liz jumped up and immediately said, “Yes! Show her and her mother right in.” To the others in the room she said, “Maybe we’ll find out what went on last night.”

Marks held the door open and a dark-hair woman and a red-haired teen entered the room. They both seemed overwhelmed by the reception they had just gone through but the woman broke into a slight smile when she saw Liz.

“Melissa, please come in. I’m so glad you and Miranda came.” Liz and Doug hugged the woman and then the teen.

“Melissa, I want to introduce you to Annie’s grandmother, Abbey Bartlet. Mom, this is Melissa Stone and Annie’s best friend, Miranda.”

“Nice to meet you Melissa. Same to you, Miranda.” Abbey shook both sets of hands and smiled at each person. They seemed a bit overwhelmed at meeting the First Lady of the United States. And the fact that she was dressed in a sweater and jeans, not in her custom made suits that was her usual attire when they saw her on television.

“Please sit down and tell us what happened last night.” Liz was anxious to know exactly what had transpired at the party. And everybody else was as well.

Everybody sat down, with Miranda sitting across from Liz.

“Mrs. Westin, how is Annie?”

“Not good, Miranda. She still can’t breathe on her own. But the doctors have hope so we have to have it as well. Please tell us what happened.”

“Well, I left early but I can tell you what happened before I left. We went to Steve’s house after the game, just like we planned. Annie said you had given her permission so I felt okay with it. But when we got there his parents were not there. Something about them going to Boston for the night. Anyway, more people came than I thought were going to be there and most were older than us. It didn’t take long before I saw a lot of alcohol, mostly beer, being passed around.”

Liz heard Doug saying “I’ll kill him,” under his breath. She placed her hand on his thigh to quiet him down. “Go on Miranda.”

“Well, I kept refusing it and so did Annie, at first. But then people, mainly boys, started daring her to take a drink. One drink led to one more and one more and so on. I tried to tell her to stop, but she said that it made her feel good and she said she felt like she was finally fitting in.”

Abby interrupted her. “Miranda, where were her agents?”

The teen looked at the First Lady. “They were outside checking people coming in the door. The two agents, I guess that was all, were divided between the front door and the back door. But I guess the alcohol slipped in somehow.”

“Anyway, I finally had enough. I couldn’t persuade her to stop so I decided to leave. I told her I was leaving but I don’t know if she ever heard me. It was really noisy, or she didn’t remember. She was pretty drunk.”

Liz asked, “Do you know about any drugs?”

“No, Mrs. Westin. But I know that at these types of parties, my friends tell me that there are always plenty around. All types.”

“Anything else, Miranda?”

“Mrs. Westin, please don’t be hard on Annie. She was just trying to fit in.” Miranda glanced over at Abbey and hesitated to continue her conversation.

Abbey picked up on her unease. “Miranda, you can say anything here that you need to say. All of us love Annie very much and only want the best for her. We can’t help her unless we know why she might do something like this.”

“Yes, Ma’am. Mrs. Westin, Annie has not had the easiest time at school since her grandfather became President. Sometimes when the parents say things at home that are not pleasant about the President or about what he does or says, then their son or daughter will come to school and give Annie a hard time about it.” Miranda was crying now. “She tries to just blow it off but I can see how it bothers her. Sometimes not so much but sometimes a lot. I know she loves her grandfather a whole lot and you too, Mrs. Bartlet, and it upsets her when people say mean things about you two. Please don’t tell her I said this to you. She wouldn’t like me anymore. But I think that she did what she did last night trying to make people like her more.”

Abbey, who was also crying along with everyone in the room, stood up and hugged Miranda tightly.

“Don’t worry, Miranda. We appreciate you coming forward and telling us everything.”


	4. Chapter 4

Jed was reading paperwork at his desk when his private phone line rang. “Abbey?”

“Yes, Jed, It’s me. I have an update on Annie.”

“Thank God. How is she?”

“Well, the good news was that the toxicology report was negative for drugs but her blood alcohol level was .24, three times the limit for a DUI. Turns out there was a lot of beer at this party and apparently Annie was dared to drink quite a bit of it. Her best friend tried to talk her out of it, but Annie wanted to fit in so she continued to drink. Also, she’s off the ventilator but still has not awakened. I have finally talked Doug into going home and see about Gus. His parents are at their house with Gus but he needs to see his father. Liz is grabbing a nap but only because she knows I will wake her if something comes up.”

“Abbey, Annie is only 14. Why did she go to a party that had alcohol? Where were her agents when all of this was going on?”

“Calm down, babe. The agents were checking people coming in the door and this party was supposed to be just friends her age and supervised by parents. But this boy’s parents went to Boston for the night and older kids came in and brought the beer with them. Liz had absolutely no idea that this would happen. But I think there is a bigger problem here.”

“What?”

“Well, according to Annie’s best friend, she has been the target at school of a great deal of what I would call bullying from kids whose parents who don’t like your actions or policies as President.”

“WHAT THE HELL?”

“Lower your voice, Jed. Do you want the whole White House to hear you?”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m just as angry as you are. It is horrible to hold a child responsible for something that they have absolutely no responsibility or control over. But according to Miranda, that’s the name of Annie’s best friend, it’s been going on since you took office. At first it was occasional, but since she couldn’t really fight back, it has gotten worse.”

Jed shook his head. “Abbey, that’s so cruel,” his voice breaking.

“I know.”

“What can we can do about it?”

“The first thing we have to do is to hope she wakes up and survives this. Then maybe we can get her some professional help to deal with this. The school will have to be involved as well. If it comes to it, then Liz and Doug will have to consider private school and hope that the atmosphere will be better.”

“I agree. Anything else?”

“No, not right now. Any chance of you making it up this weekend?”

“I am going to try. Today is Wednesday, so if the world doesn’t explode I will try and make it up by Friday. You know it is such a zoo when I come so I hate to disrupt the hospital.”

“Maybe by then, she’ll be home and can come out to the farm where we can talk to her in a quieter setting.”

“Sounds good. I’ll see what arrangements I can make and let you know. By the way, is the press leaving you alone?”

“Not really. But the Service is doing its best to keep them away from the family. They have blocked off Liz’s block and only letting the neighbors into their houses and of course, no one can get in here without appropriate business. I can’t wait to get back to the seclusion at the farm.”

“CJ has told the press here that all official announcements will come through the White House, but there’s always those who don’t listen. If you have problems, just let Ron know and he’ll fix them. Okay, I’ve got a meeting coming up so I need to say goodbye. Give Liz and Annie a kiss from me and we’ll talk later. I love you, Abbey and thank you for being there.”

“I love you too, Jed. And you know I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Bye.”

Jed hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, trying to digest the conversation. Kids could be so cruel. He prayed that his granddaughter survived this so she could realize that she doesn’t have to take on this burden by herself.


	5. Chapter 5

“Liz, wake up. Liz,..” Abbey was shaking her oldest daughter’s shoulder in the private room the hospital had graciously set aside for the family.

Liz struggled to overcome the exhaustion of her body, but eventually was able to open her eyes to see her mother standing next to the bed.

“What is it?”

“I think Annie is about to wake up. She’s becoming more responsive and I thought you might want to be there.”

Liz quickly stood and almost ran to her daughter’s bedside. Doug was already there, having returned from the house while Liz was asleep.

They both focused on their child lying in the bed.

“Annie, wake up. Mom and Dad are here. Grandma Abbey is here too. We all want to see you. Wake up honey.” Liz kept repeating the words in a soft voice, hoping she could see the blue eyes Annie had inherited from her grandfather open for the first time in eighteen hours.

“Annie dear, it’s okay. Mom and Dad…”

Liz couldn’t finish as she finally saw what she had been praying for. The bluest of blue eyes peered at her from beneath the long black eyelashes of her daughter and tears fell from every adult eye in the room.

Liz leaned down and gave Annie the tightest hug any mother had ever given their child. Doug leaned down and hugged them both. Abbey left the room to give them some privacy for a long prayed for reunion.

His private phone rang in the Oval Office in the middle of a meeting between Jed and Leo. Jed grabbed it.

“Yes?”

Leo only prayed it was good news.

“She is? Thank God!”

Jed’s smile could only mean one thing. It had to mean good news. Leo let loose the breath he had been holding.

“Great. Okay, we’ll talk later. Thanks for calling. Bye.”

Jed hung up and turned to Leo. “Annie just woke up.”

“That’s great news, Mr. President. You must be relieved.”

“I am. But did I tell you why she was drinking so much at the party?”

“No.”

“Well, according to her best friend, she was trying to fit in with this particular school crowd. Annie apparently has been the target of bullying at school ever since I was elected President because some of the parents don’t like my decisions and the kids take it out on Annie.”

“What? How cruel.”

“Yeah. It’s got to stop.”

“How are you going to make it stop?”

“I don’t know, but I won’t let my granddaughter, or any child for that matter, be the target of bullying for something they can’t control. Just because she’s the granddaughter of the President doesn’t make her responsible for my decisions or policies.”

“I agree with you.”

“So it’s important that I go to New Hampshire this weekend and get the facts from Annie and then see what can be done first locally. After that, I hope we can get a national program started to help other children who might also be the targets in their environment. So direct the Senior Staff to start brainstorming ideas about programs and funding for such a program, will you? I think it should fit under the Department of Education and maybe bring the National Institute of Mental Health into the mix. This shouldn’t happen to any child, no matter what the issue is.”

“A noble cause, Mr. President. I’ll get the Senior Staff on it right away. Now back to the topic at hand.”

The next morning Leo discussed the President’s proposal with the Senior Staff. They all agreed it was a good idea but it had drawbacks.

Josh was the first to speak. “Some in Congress will think it’s self-serving. That the President only wants it because a member of his family has been bullied.”

“And because his approval level hasn’t been the best, he’s raising it on the backs of the children of the United States.” That statement came from Toby.

“Toby, you don’t really think that, do you?” Leo asked incredulously.

“Leo, really.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“How are we going to pay for it?” Sam was always the practical one.

“And do you think there is enough Congressional support for it?”

“Well Josh, that’s for you to find out. Now CJ, I want you to float the idea of a blue ribbon panel, bipartisan of course, to assess the extent of bullying in the country and see what response we get. I’m sure the educational and mental health community will support that. But we’ll see what groups might come out against it. I can’t think of any, but you never know. We’ll see what response that brings and then determine our next move. In the meantime, Josh, you and Toby talk to our friends in Congress to see what support there might be there for some kind of program. Now, for the next issue.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jed looked out from the front porch of the farmhouse on Saturday morning, taking in the country sights. It always refreshed his mind to come here from Washington, even for only two nights, to clear away the cobwebs. As his Presidency has gone on, the visits have gotten fewer and fewer so he valued every chance he got.

“Jed, coming to breakfast?”

“Yes. Just breathing in fresh air.” He turned and went into the kitchen where, in spite of his diet restrictions in the White House, Abbey had cooked eggs, bacon, oatmeal and toast this particular morning. He grinned when he saw the bacon.

“Any special occasion for the pork?”

“Nope. Just thought I would surprise you.”

“Well, you did. And thanks.” He sat down and started to fill his plate. Abbey refilled his coffee and sat down across from him.

“Liz said they would be here about 10. Since Annie left the hospital yesterday morning, Liz said she has been kind of nervous talking about the incident. She hasn’t said much about it to her parents so I don’t know how much we’ll get out of her.”

“I can understand that. I guess she thinks she will be punished for all the drinking she did. Personally I think Steve’s parents ought to be charged with providing alcohol to minors and accessory to a death, but I’m not an attorney so I’m going to keep my mouth shut about that. But they’re damn lucky only one child died.” Jed bit down on his second strip of bacon, savoring the flavor as long as he could.

“Annie is very lucky not to have died as well. That blood alcohol level could have killed an adult, nonetheless a fourteen year-old. If she had gone into respiratory arrest at the house, we would have been attending a funeral today, not having her come over to talk with us.”

“Don’t remind me.”

“By the way, what are you going to talk to her about?”

“I really don’t know except that she’s not responsible for any actions or policies that I make as President. I want her to understand that I love her as her grandfather and the two roles are very separate. And talk to her about maybe getting some help from the school to stop this harassment. That’s why I want you and Liz to be a part of this. You both should be familiar of the type of help the school provides. Counseling, the principal, something or someone that can intervene and stop this mess. And I want to start something on a national basis to help kids across the country who are experiencing this crap on a daily basis.”

“Jed, you know something?”

“What?”

“I love you.” She leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

He grinned. “I hope so. You’re stuck with me.”

After helping with the dishes, Jed called Leo to check in.

“Anything going on?”

“No, Sir. The world is calm. How about your household?”

“Unknown at this time. Liz and Annie are coming over soon and we’ll talk. Liz said Annie has been nervous since her discharge yesterday. I guess she thinks she’s going to be punished, but Abbey and I believe she’s already been punished enough. But we’re not her parents. Her punishment, if any is to be given out, is up to Liz and Doug. I just think the trauma of almost dying is a sufficient lesson that she won’t soon forget but hey, again, we are not her parents. We’ll just see what happens. Leo, what is going on in the minds of kids these days? I mean just the idea of these older kids bringing alcohol into a party where they knew most of the guests were way under the drinking age is outrageous. And this boy’s parents leaving their fourteen year old son alone at home for the night, knowing full well he was having a party, is just unbelievable. Abbey and I would have never done such a thing.”

“Me neither, Sir. But times are a little looser now.”

“I still think the parents share responsibility for the outcomes of this disaster. I guess I am old fashioned but I believe there are still rules one should follow, even at age 14 or 15. To have free rein like they apparently gave their son is just unbelievable.”

Leo just remained quiet. He knew the President was on one of his tangents that there was really no good answer to it, so he didn’t even try. He understood Jed’s anger and frustration. He shared it as a father as well, but luckily had never experienced any situation where Mallory had been placed in any kind of danger due to the negative actions of another parent or child. And he knew now how lucky he had been.

“Have a good weekend, Mr. President. I’ll call you if I need you.”

“Thanks Leo. Bye.”


	7. Chapter 7

Jed and Abbey watched as Liz and Annie got out of the car and made their way up the walk. Annie kept her eyes down all the way to the porch, not wanting to look into her grandparents eyes.

“Annie, how are you doing?” Jed reached out to hug his granddaughter as she reached the porch.

“Fine,” she whispered, her eyes still glancing downward.

“I was so worried about you.”

“I was okay.”

“Let’s go in the house. Want something to drink? Some water or tea?”

“No, thank you.”

Liz and Abbey exchanged glances as the foursome moved into the house.

“Annie, look at me, please.” Jed placed his finger on her chin and raised her face until her eyes met his. “I love you and I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Aren’t you mad at me?.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“No.”

That seemed to take Annie by surprise. “You’re not? Really?”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I embarrassed you with my behavior this week.”

Liz and Abbey turned and went into the kitchen before Jed and Annie saw the tears that had formed in their eyes and had started to fall.

Jed hugged Annie very tightly and gave her a kiss on her head. “Come and sit in the study. We will close the door and just talk. Just the two of us, Okay?”

“Okay.”

Jed closed the doors and both sat on the sofa, next to each other.

“Why do you think you embarrassed me?”

“Because you’re the President and my behavior made the news and it made you look bad.”

“Annie, you could never embarrass me. I am your grandfather and I love you with all my heart. I will always be your grandfather. I was your grandfather long before I was President and I will be your grandfather long after I am no longer President. One of the highest priorities in my life is being your and Gus’s grandfather. I was there the day you were born and I loved you the minute I saw you for the first time. You can never do anything that would embarrass me or Grandma Abbey. Do you believe what I am saying to you?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry I drank all those beers. I just wanted to fit in with the right crowd. It is important for people to like me.”

Jed sighed. This was so typical for kids this age to want to be accepted by the ‘right’ group. “Annie, you scared everyone. Did your parents tell you how sick you were when the ambulance brought you to the hospital?”

“Yeah. They told me I quit breathing and the doctors had to make me breathe again. And they told me that the doctors had to put a tube in my throat and hook me to a machine to help me breathe until the beer was out of my body.”

“That’s right. Everyone was so worried. Your parents and Gus and Grandpa and Grandma Westin and Grandma Abbey and I were very, very worried that we wouldn’t ever see you again. And we would have been very sad.”

“I realize that now.” By this time, Annie was crying so Jed got up and pulled a tissue from the box and handed one to her. He sat back down and placed one of his hands on her leg and waited until she spoke again.

“I’m so sorry I made everybody worry. I won’t ever do it again.”

“We know you won’t. I heard Melinda tried to get you to leave when she realized the party was getting out of hand.”

Annie nodded. “But I wouldn’t listen to her. I wanted to prove to Steve that I was one of his crowd and that I could do what he and his friends were doing. I wanted to belong to his group.”

“Is Steve part of the group at school that’s been giving you trouble about me?”


	8. Chapter 8

Annie looked at her grandfather.

Jed waited while she decided whether to say anything or not.

She knew then Melinda must have told her parents about her problems at school and she should be mad at her best friend, but in a way she was relieved it was out in the open. And that her parents and grandparents were accepting about it. Especially her grandparents. She would never want to say anything that would hurt her grandparents.

“Okay, now will you tell me what’s going on at school with kids bullying you about me? It hurts me so much that others are hurting you because of me. I would never want you to be hurt in any way because of me. Do you understand that?”

Annie nodded.

“Okay then, tell me what’s going on.”

“You won’t get mad about some of the things said about you?”

Jed laughed. “Honey, I’ve been in politics for a long time and many things have been said about me and to me. I can guarantee you that I’ve heard almost everything. So no matter what these kids have said to you about me, I have probably already heard it or at least some variation of it. So it’s okay with me. It won’t hurt my feelings and it sure as heck won’t affect my love for you or your brother.”

Annie only smiled and hugged her grandfather again. “I love you, Grandpa.”

“I love you too, Annie. Now, what did these kids say?”

Annie looked down at her lap.

Jed took his fingers and once again raised her face until she was looking him in the eyes. “Look at me, honey. It’s going to be okay. Just remember I love you very much and you can’t say anything that will upset me.”

Annie gave him a brief smile and started to relate some of the ugly statements that the students had repeated to her that their parents had said to them.

“That President Bartlet is an idiot. He doesn’t do crap when given the opportunity.”

“President Bartlet can’t find his way out of a paper bag.”

“Bartlet is an asshole. He can’t get along with any of the Republicans even if his life depended upon it.”

“I wish President Bartlet would just go ahead and just die for all the good he’s doing in Washington.”

That last one made Annie start crying all over again. Jed pulled her close and hugged her until she was able to finally stop crying.

“Shh, honey. It’s okay. These people are just angry. They don’t really mean these things. They just don’t understand that the words hurt others.”

Finally, Annie quit crying and pulled away from the comfort of her grandfather’s embrace. 

“Are you okay with those words?”

“Of course not. But people will say them. But they need to say them to other adults. They shouldn’t say them to their children who definitely shouldn’t say them to other children. I’m so sorry you had to hear them.”

“They come up to me in the hallway and after class and brag to me about how much they hate you and how much they want to see you mess up. I try and defend you. Sometimes I get very angry, but I know I can’t fight back because if I did it would make the news and then you would hear about it and then it would embarrass you and Grandma Abbey and Mom and Dad. So I just have to stand there and listen to them.”

“Next time someone comes up and starts to say something, can you just walk away?”

“I guess I could.”

“You have other friends, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why, then, is it important to be a part of Steve’s group? Isn’t your group just as good as Steve’s?”

“I guess.”

“I bet it is.”

“Then the next time one of these kids come up to you, just turn away and go find one of your friends and talk with them. Do you think talking to someone at the school, maybe a counselor, would help you get stronger in making some of these decisions? Or in trying to identify these kids that keep talking trash to you?”

“Maybe someone could help in getting me stronger in telling these kids to go away.”

“I bet your mother will help arrange something like that. Do you want to talk with her now?”

Annie nodded. “But before that.”

“Yes?”

“Grandpa, have I told you lately how much I love you and Grandma Abbey?”

“Annie honey, we never get tired of that. You can tell us anytime you want to.”

They both hugged, knowing that the love between grandfather and grandchild was solid as a rock and could never be broken, no matter what the years ahead would bring.


	9. Chapter 9

“Abbey, are you awake?”

“Yeah. You’re twisting and turning so much I haven’t been able to get to sleep.”

“I’m still thinking about my conversation with Annie today. She seemed so young and fragile.”

“Jed, that’s how kids are at that age. Don’t you remember how the girls were at that age?” Abbey rolled over to face her husband. The moonlight through the curtains highlighted his profile.

“Not really. I guess I was so busy with Congress that I didn’t realize what they were going through at that age. She was so sorry about all the drinking. I think she really learned her lesson and I hope that Liz and Doug don’t punish her anymore.”

“While you were talking with Annie, Liz and I also had a long talk. She and Doug have agreed that Annie seems to have learned her lesson and won’t give her any additional punishment. Of course, scaring the shit out of someone is a hard way to learn a lesson, but it seemed to have worked in this case.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Annie deserves our support now.”

“Liz also said that she and Doug are thinking about suing Steve’s parents for the remaining costs of Annie’s hospital bill. They believe his parents were negligent in not supervising their son who allowed alcohol to be brought in, which was then served to minors. She understands that the parents of the boy that died will be filing a wrongful death suit against Steve’s parents for the same thing. And several parents of the other children who were hospitalized are also thinking of filing suit.”

“Good. They deserve it.”

“I agree.”

“Abbey?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I told you at breakfast I want to do something on a national basis to help other children who are bullied find some justice and peace.”

“Yeah.”

Jed turned to face Abbey. “Do you think Annie would testify about her experiences before a Commission that’s being set up to explore the problem? Would Liz and Doug allow her to do so? You know the kind of problems and publicity that would come with it. And the special issues that would come with her being the President’s granddaughter.”

“Oh God, Jed. I have no clue. When would this take place?”

“Leo and the staff are working on setting this up now. I would say within a few months. We want to see if there’s support out in the country for some kind of national law against bullying, including cyberbullying. If there is, then I would like to proceed with getting one passed. In my wildest dreams, I would call it ‘Annie’s Law.’”

Abbey felt moisture on her face. She reached up and found a few tears had dropped from her eyes.

She leaned over and kissed her husband. “Do you know how much I love you right now?”

“I think so. Especially if it is as much as I love you.” He kissed her back and they both settled down for a restful slumber.


	10. Chapter 10

One month later

“Sir, we have the Commission on School Bullying scheduled for the first week of August and it will be held in Dallas, Texas.”

Jed looked up from the paperwork in his hands and looked at his Chief of Staff. “Why Dallas?”

“Well, because it’s the middle of the Bible Belt and your support seems stronger out there. Also, based on polling, there seems to be more support for something to be done about bullying in the schools in the middle of the country than on either coast.”

Jed took off his glasses and put them on the desk. “Why is that? It’s a national problem. It is certainly not a regional one.”

“Yes, Sir. I agree with you. But that’s what the polls are telling us. So in order for us to get the maximum support behind the movement, it was thought best to go where we would get the most publicity and support from the public and then we could get a running start on persuading the rest of the country.”

“Leo, who thought this?”

“Sir, who?”

“That’s my question to you.”

“The Senior Staff, Sir.”

“Leo, who on the Senior Staff?”

Leo paused, not wanting to name someone specific in case this didn’t quite work out as planned.

“I’m waiting, Leo.”

“Sir, it was a mutual decision that I signed off on.”

Jed sighed. Leo was a good man. But he knew Leo was protecting at least one person. Maybe more than one. “Are you going to tell me?”

“Sir, the buck stops with me. I made the final call. Let’s leave it that. There was a lot of discussion and I made the final call.”

“Leo, obviously you are protecting someone and I want to know why. Is there someone on the Senior Staff that’s against me doing this? Or is it because one of my family is involved?”

“Sir, I really rather not say.”

“Mr. President?”

“Yes, Charlie?” Jed glanced at his Chief of Staff, letting him know the subject was not closed.

“The Labor Secretary is here for your meeting.”

Jed stood. “Thanks, Charlie. Show him in. Saved by the bell, Leo. We’ll talk later.”

“Yes, Mr. President.” Leo turned and went back to his office.

Leo sat down at his desk and took off his glasses. “Yeah, I’m covering for you Toby. I can only provide you cover for so long. You had better come around or else I don’t want to be around when the President finds out your resistance to this.”

He looked up at the sound of a knock on his door. He stood up. “Abbey, please come in.”

“Thanks, Leo. I came to find out if there has been a decision on the timing on this Bullying Commission you and my husband has been batting around for a month.” She sat down on his sofa and Leo sat down across from her in one of his chairs.

“Matter of fact, I just came from his office. It’s set for the first week of August in Dallas, Texas.”

“Dallas? Seems kind of far. I thought it would be somewhere around here.”

“Dallas was chosen because there’s a lot of support out there for a national bullying program and we thought it would be helpful and more publicity if we went somewhere where there will be a positive reception. Then, once it’s over, hopefully, the enthusiasm can be spread across the country. On the west and east coasts there seems to some substantial opposition to any national law.”

“Really? That kind of surprises me. I thought parents would want their children protected everywhere.”

“I would guess so, too. But maybe it’s the government intervention they don’t like. It’s just what our polling tells us.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Will Annie be presenting at the Commission? I know the President talked about it some time ago, but I didn’t know if any final decision had been made.”

Abbey hesitated. “Well, we’ve talked with Liz and Doug and they’re not really happy about putting Annie on display like that. But she’s gotten emotionally stronger since the incident and I think she would do fine with reading from a prepared document. She wouldn’t take any questions. But then, I’m not her mother. Jed and I will leave that decision to her parents.”

“Abbey, it sure would help get publicity for the problem if the President’s granddaughter would talk about her issues in a public setting like that. We are planning on having other victims to speak about their experiences, but having a member of the President’s own family talk would just be incredible.”

Abbey stood up. “Leo, I’m ashamed of you. Using one of our family members for political gain. Especially a fourteen year old. She’s already experienced enough these past few months without being used as a political puppet to gain publicity for a damn bill. I absolutely refuse to allow Annie to be used that way. Good Day!” She quickly walked out, slamming the door behind her.

“Oh shit.”


	11. Chapter 11

“Leo, are you busy?” It was unusual for the President to call Leo from the Oval instead of just stepping into his office through the adjoining door. It was 8:15 at night and Jed had just returned from the Residence after having dinner with Abbey. Leo bet that the First Couple had discussed Leo’s and Abbey’s conversation earlier today regarding Annie’s possible presentation at the Commission on School Bullying which didn’t end very well. For Leo.

“No, Sir.”

“Come on over and talk.”

“Yes, Sir.” Leo put down the phone and stood up. He walked over to the Oval Office and immediately saw more than the President there. The First Lady had also come back down with him.

“Leo, have a seat. We need to talk.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Leo felt he was being led to the lion’s den or his execution. Only a matter of time would tell him which one.

Jed finished mixing him and Abbey a scotch and handed hers to her. He also had fixed Leo a club soda and handed it to Leo. He sat down in his favorite chair while Abbey was seated on the sofa across from Leo.

After taking his first sip, he spoke. “Leo, my wife says she and you talked this afternoon about having Annie speak at the Commission hearing on bullying.”

“Yes, Sir. We did.”

“And she said that you kind of alluded to the political benefits of having the President’s granddaughter give her statement about her experience about bullying to the Commission in a public setting.”

“Yes, Sir. I did.”

“And then she said she yelled at you and stomped out, slamming the door on the way out.”

“Sir, if I may ask, where are you going with these questions?” Leo was uncomfortable discussing his disagreement with Abbey with the President.

“Leo, just answer the question.”

“Yes, Sir. She did.”

Jed turned to Abbey. The entire time Jed had been talking to Leo, Abbey had been averting her eyes, unable to look at Leo directly. “Abbey, do you have something to say to Leo?”

Now, Abbey raised her head to look directly at the Chief of Staff. “Leo, I’m sorry I yelled and stomped out and slammed the door. I should have stayed and continued the conversation.”

Leo was caught off guard by Abbey’s apology. Based on knowing Abbey all these years, that apology must have been hard for her. Abigail Bartlet rarely apologized to anyone.

Jed turned to Leo. “Leo, do you have something to say to Abbey?”

“Abbey, I’m sorry if you felt I was making Annie’s appearance into only a political benefit. Your granddaughter has been though a lot recently and I think by her sharing her experience she can help a lot of others to come forward and get the help they need to cope with their lives. I am truly sorry.”

It was the President’s turn. “Now, are we back on equal footing and can discuss this issue like the adults we are?”

Abbey nodded.

Leo nodded.

“Good. Now, anyone want to know my thoughts on having Annie talk to the Commission?”

With no comments from the other two people in the room, Jed continued. “My opinion is, if Annie feels comfortable speaking, then she should speak. She is almost fifteen and is growing up real fast. This past incident I think really has increased her maturity. I guess almost dying will do that. Anyway, although the final decision is up to her parents. I will do everything in my power of persuasion to have them say yes or at least give the decision to Annie to make. And, if she decides to go, I think a trip to Dallas is in order for Doug, Liz, Gus, Annie and Abbey. I would love to go but the media circus would just be overwhelming. I will reluctantly stay here and watch her on C-Span. If she wants to speak, I will have CJ work with her so she will be ready. You all think that’s a good plan?”

Abbey smiled. “Yes.”

Leo nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Let’s drink to that.”

The trio raised their glasses and toasted to a successful outcome of the President’s plan.


	12. Chapter 12

“Annie, you’ll do fine.”

“Mom, I’m a nervous wreck.”

“I know you are honey. But you have worked with Grandpa’s Press Secretary for hours and she says you’re going to be good.”

It was just a matter of minutes before Annie’s scheduled presentation in Dallas. She had badgered her parents on wanting to speak until they reluctantly had given in. Her grandfather had urged her to think about the good she would do on sharing her story with so many others and after talking it over with Melinda and others, including her parents, she had decided to do it. Then she had stayed at the White House for two weeks while she worked with CJ on the presentation until they both felt she was ready.

Now was the time. She was going out there and face the experts in the field of adolescent mental health and school policies and tell her story. And not only was she going to represent herself, but also thousands of her peers across the country who had similar stories and were not so lucky to have the opportunity she had to share the story in such a public venue. She remembered the telephone conversation she had with her grandfather last night in the hotel room.

“I’m nervous, Grandpa. I don’t want to embarrass you. I’m going to be seen by lots of people.”

“I have faith in you, Annie. Remember I told you that you could never embarrass me. Just be yourself and tell your story. Tell them how you feel. That’s all you have you do. We are all so proud of you doing this.

“Thank you, Grandpa Jed. I wish you could be here.”

“I do too, honey. But it would be too overwhelming for you. But I will be watching on television. Just know I love you very much.”

“Thank you. I love you too. Bye.”

The production assistant stuck her head in the room. “Ms. Westin? It’s time.”

“Mom?”

“It’s okay. I love you. Now go.”

Liz gave her oldest a final kiss for luck and Annie walked out to the table set up on a small riser in the middle of the small auditorium at Southern Methodist University. The panel of experts were seated across the stage with cameras spaced in between each expert. One camera was placed at the back of the room for wide shots.

Annie reached the small set of stairs and was helped up the stairs. She sat down at the table and faced the panel.

In the audience, Liz, Doug and the First Lady of the United States waited anxiously for the presentation to begin. Back in Washington, the President and Senior Staff were gathered in Leo’s office watching C-Span, which was carrying the conference live. It was hard to tell who was the most nervous, the President whose granddaughter was next to speak, or Leo who had a lot of prestige riding on the entire conference going well. Either way, the next speech was about to begin.

The moderator called the session to order.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the next speaker is from Manchester, New Hampshire. Annie Westin is 15 years old and is speaking from her perspective as a victim of bullying. Ms. Westin, you have the floor.”

“Thank you. I have been the object of bullying for the last three years. Because of who a relative of mine is, some students in my school thought it would be okay to repeat certain statements regarding my relative that they heard in their household from their parents. They did this without regard, without thought, as to how it made me feel or what it do to me personally. I love this relative very much and I hated every word that would come out of these so-called friends’ mouths. But I thought I had no choice but to listen to them.

At the time, I was not aware of any adult assistance I could call upon to help me. In fact, I thought if I could just make them like me then their bullying would stop. So I did nothing. But the only thing that it did was make me unhappy. It made me very unhappy. But I told no one. I didn’t tell my parents. I didn’t tell any teacher, any counselor, no one. For three years I suffered in silence. Since then, I have learned that silence to the bullying is the typical response. The person being bullied feels they are the one responsible. They caused the bullying. If only they could change their behavior. Or their appearance. Or whatever is the cause of the bullying.

I have read some accounts by adults of being bullied as children and many say that they remained silent all of their lives. That’s a long time for people to carry the impact of the bullying with them. These accounts describe the changes in the adults’ lives and personalities because they didn’t seek help or didn’t have help available to work through the impact the bullying had on their lives.

However, for some children or teens, the impact is much greater. For some the only way out is suicide. The person being bullied sees no other way out of the darkness. I don’t know the statistical relationship between bullying and suicide, but I bet that someone on your panel knows it only too well.

In my case, I am ashamed to admit what I did in response to the bullying. I didn’t try to commit suicide. It was strictly an accident, but I could have died. I could have stopped at any point in time. In fact, I knew better. I have been raised in an environment of love and trust and openness and I knew I was stepping over the line. But know what? At that particular time, I didn’t care. All I wanted at that time was to be accepted by the very same people who were doing the bullying. So I did something very stupid. And almost paid the ultimate price.

If it wasn’t for the swift intervention of the doctors at the hospital and the love of my family, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you today. I was one of the lucky ones. I have had a very supportive family to help guide me through the recovery. But many others do not. That’s why this nation needs a national law to provide guidance and strength to those who do not have a strong family. I speak here in support of such a law. And I speak for those who can’t speak. Thank you.”

In Leo’s office, a big cheer went up. Annie had done a fantastic job and everyone was extremely proud. Especially the President. Annie had shown great composure under pressure and had shown the Bartlet charm. Leo grinned, relieved that her presentation had gone so well, and had been a hit with the audience. The Senior Staff shook hands with both men, knowing that Annie’s speech had given the bill its greatest boost toward public acceptance and passage in Congress.

“Well done, guys,” said the President. He gave CJ a hug for all of her help getting Annie ready for this presentation. “Thank you, CJ.”

“It was my pleasure, Sir.” CJ beamed. The hours of coaching really paid off. “Annie did it all. She was great.”

“Thank you, CJ. Yes, she did. And I’m so proud of her,” the President answered.

Back in Dallas, the room exploded into applause and a standing ovation. The panel members stood and applauded as well. Liz and Abbey remained sitting, overwhelmed with tears of joy and amazement of how well Annie had handled herself during the presentation. Doug was standing and applauding, so proud of his very mature daughter. She had definitely grown up since the incident last fall. He almost didn’t recognize her as the same person.


	13. Chapter 13

“Annie, you’ll do fine.”

“Mom, I’m a nervous wreck.”

“I know you are honey. But you have worked with Grandpa’s Press Secretary for hours and she says you’re going to be good.”

It was just a matter of minutes before Annie’s scheduled presentation in Dallas. She had badgered her parents on wanting to speak until they reluctantly had given in. Her grandfather had urged her to think about the good she would do on sharing her story with so many others and after talking it over with Melinda and others, including her parents, she had decided to do it. Then she had stayed at the White House for two weeks while she worked with CJ on the presentation until they both felt she was ready.

Now was the time. She was going out there and face the experts in the field of adolescent mental health and school policies and tell her story. And not only was she going to represent herself, but also thousands of her peers across the country who had similar stories and were not so lucky to have the opportunity she had to share the story in such a public venue. She remembered the telephone conversation she had with her grandfather last night in the hotel room.

“I’m nervous, Grandpa. I don’t want to embarrass you. I’m going to be seen by lots of people.”

“I have faith in you, Annie. Remember I told you that you could never embarrass me. Just be yourself and tell your story. Tell them how you feel. That’s all you have you do. We are all so proud of you doing this.

“Thank you, Grandpa Jed. I wish you could be here.”

“I do too, honey. But it would be too overwhelming for you. But I will be watching on television. Just know I love you very much.”

“Thank you. I love you too. Bye.”

The production assistant stuck her head in the room. “Ms. Westin? It’s time.”

“Mom?”

“It’s okay. I love you. Now go.”

Liz gave her oldest a final kiss for luck and Annie walked out to the table set up on a small riser in the middle of the small auditorium at Southern Methodist University. The panel of experts were seated across the stage with cameras spaced in between each expert. One camera was placed at the back of the room for wide shots.

Annie reached the small set of stairs and was helped up the stairs. She sat down at the table and faced the panel.

In the audience, Liz, Doug and the First Lady of the United States waited anxiously for the presentation to begin. Back in Washington, the President and Senior Staff were gathered in Leo’s office watching C-Span, which was carrying the conference live. It was hard to tell who was the most nervous, the President whose granddaughter was next to speak, or Leo who had a lot of prestige riding on the entire conference going well. Either way, the next speech was about to begin.

The moderator called the session to order.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the next speaker is from Manchester, New Hampshire. Annie Westin is 15 years old and is speaking from her perspective as a victim of bullying. Ms. Westin, you have the floor.”

“Thank you. I have been the object of bullying for the last three years. Because of who a relative of mine is, some students in my school thought it would be okay to repeat certain statements regarding my relative that they heard in their household from their parents. They did this without regard, without thought, as to how it made me feel or what it do to me personally. I love this relative very much and I hated every word that would come out of these so-called friends’ mouths. But I thought I had no choice but to listen to them.

At the time, I was not aware of any adult assistance I could call upon to help me. In fact, I thought if I could just make them like me then their bullying would stop. So I did nothing. But the only thing that it did was make me unhappy. It made me very unhappy. But I told no one. I didn’t tell my parents. I didn’t tell any teacher, any counselor, no one. For three years I suffered in silence. Since then, I have learned that silence to the bullying is the typical response. The person being bullied feels they are the one responsible. They caused the bullying. If only they could change their behavior. Or their appearance. Or whatever is the cause of the bullying.

I have read some accounts by adults of being bullied as children and many say that they remained silent all of their lives. That’s a long time for people to carry the impact of the bullying with them. These accounts describe the changes in the adults’ lives and personalities because they didn’t seek help or didn’t have help available to work through the impact the bullying had on their lives.

However, for some children or teens, the impact is much greater. For some the only way out is suicide. The person being bullied sees no other way out of the darkness. I don’t know the statistical relationship between bullying and suicide, but I bet that someone on your panel knows it only too well.

In my case, I am ashamed to admit what I did in response to the bullying. I didn’t try to commit suicide. It was strictly an accident, but I could have died. I could have stopped at any point in time. In fact, I knew better. I have been raised in an environment of love and trust and openness and I knew I was stepping over the line. But know what? At that particular time, I didn’t care. All I wanted at that time was to be accepted by the very same people who were doing the bullying. So I did something very stupid. And almost paid the ultimate price.

If it wasn’t for the swift intervention of the doctors at the hospital and the love of my family, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you today. I was one of the lucky ones. I have had a very supportive family to help guide me through the recovery. But many others do not. That’s why this nation needs a national law to provide guidance and strength to those who do not have a strong family. I speak here in support of such a law. And I speak for those who can’t speak. Thank you.”

In Leo’s office, a big cheer went up. Annie had done a fantastic job and everyone was extremely proud. Especially the President. Annie had shown great composure under pressure and had shown the Bartlet charm. Leo grinned, relieved that her presentation had gone so well, and had been a hit with the audience. The Senior Staff shook hands with both men, knowing that Annie’s speech had given the bill its greatest boost toward public acceptance and passage in Congress.

“Well done, guys,” said the President. He gave CJ a hug for all of her help getting Annie ready for this presentation. “Thank you, CJ.”

“It was my pleasure, Sir.” CJ beamed. The hours of coaching really paid off. “Annie did it all. She was great.”

“Thank you, CJ. Yes, she did. And I’m so proud of her,” the President answered.

Back in Dallas, the room exploded into applause and a standing ovation. The panel members stood and applauded as well. Liz and Abbey remained sitting, overwhelmed with tears of joy and amazement of how well Annie had handled herself during the presentation. Doug was standing and applauding, so proud of his very mature daughter. She had definitely grown up since the incident last fall. He almost didn’t recognize her as the same person.


	14. Chapter 14

The next day the President held the daily Senior Staff meeting in the Oval Office. He was still on an emotional high from Annie’s presentation before the Commission.

“I’m not waiting for the Commission’s recommendations on school bullying to move forward. I want you, Josh, to start working with some of our Democratic friends on the Hill to start drafting legislation on a national bullying law. Once the Commission’s recommendations are published we can integrate them into the law, but I don’t want to waste any time in getting this law passed. Toby, Sam, I want to arrange for some speaking opportunities so I can promote the problem and the need for such legislation at different locations across the country and to various groups. And maybe have a Saturday morning radio address devoted to it. CJ, did I tell you yet you did a great job preparing Annie? She knocked it out of the park.”

“Yes, Sir, I think you mentioned it a few times.” It was nice to get a rare compliment from the President.

“Well, I mean it. I hope you will get a few questions on it from the press today. I want you to emphasize how pleased I am about the Commission’s work and that I am making bullying a focus of this administration over the next few months. And that we hope to have national legislation on this issue ready by the first of the year for Congressional consideration.”

“Yes, Sir. Sir, may I ask a question?” CJ wanted to offer another suggestion.

“Certainly.”

“What would you think about maybe doing a focus article on Annie and her experience? I think that would add impetus to the discussion.”

“Well, I think that’s a splendid idea but her parents would be the ones you have to consult. And I would like you to be there, and also to handpick the reporter. I don’t want someone looking to make a name for themselves by destroying a fifteen year old or trying to destroy me through one of my family members.”

“I completely understand, Sir. I have a couple of people in mind that I think would prove acceptable.”

“Ask her parents and Annie. She may be fifteen but, as we all saw yesterday, she can run with any adult.”

“Yes, Sir. I agree.”

“Any other issues?” Jed looked around the room and so did Leo.

Hearing none, Leo stood and said, “Thank you Mr. President.” He turned to the staff and said, “Meet me in my office. I’ll meet you there in a minute.”

The staff members stood and moved over to Leo’s office, closing the door behind them. Leo turned to the President.

“Sir, if I can speak frankly?”

“Sure, Leo. What is it?”

“Sir. I know you are excited about proceeding on this issue but I think you should slow down a little bit and wait until the Commission’s work is published. I would hate to have them feel used by you for just a public display and then thrown away like today’s trash. These are well respected experts in their fields and their opinions and recommendations will carry a lot of weight when we do get ready to pass the actual legislation. Not to wait until they are ready to release their recommendations, which really is only about a month away, will leave a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths and might make our job that much harder.”

Jed sat down behind his desk, staring at his Chief of Staff. Leo never had been afraid to speak truth to power and that was one of the reasons Jed had wanted him as Chief of Staff. To slow him down from making a huge mistake. And he was right this time. This was the time to make sure all relevant parties was included in the process.

“Leo,…”

“Yes, Sir?”

“How?”

“I’ll fix it, Sir.”

“Thanks, Leo.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

Leo turned and went to his office. “Okay, guys. There’s been a change in plans. Here’s what we’re going to do instead.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I double posted Chapter 14. Here is the correct Chapter 15.

But they knew the House was still to come. And some members of their own party were threatening to bolt from the yes column unless certain requests were met.

“Okay, everyone, quiet down. We’re not finished yet.”

“Leo, Abbey and I will leave you to your job. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Mr. President. Abbey.”

He waited until they had left and then turned back to the staff. “Okay Josh, who do we have to worry about and why?”

“McKenzie and James. They were solid until yesterday.”

“What the hell happened yesterday?”

“All I can find out is that NASA didn’t award their district some kind of scientific contract they had been expecting to the tune of 15 million dollars each. So they’re mad and they are taking their anger out on the President and on this bill because they know how much it means to him.”

“Do we need them?”

“We don’t need them, but we need their 20 friends who have said they will follow those two. And they are all on the Education Committee who have to vote on it to get it to a floor vote. Without the 22 votes, there’s no way the bill will get out of committee.”

“Hell. Have you talked with them or their reps to see what they will take for their votes?”

“Their reps say it’s the NASA contract or nothing.”

“Okay. Well, there’s nothing we can do with it tonight. Let’s sleep on it and attack it first thing in the morning. Good work Josh on the Senate. Now, we’ll figure out the House. Good night, everyone.”

The next morning Leo had the task of telling the President about the slowdown in the House of Representatives.

“LEO! What do you MEAN we aren’t going to get this bill out of committee? I thought you said we had a clear path in both houses.”

“Yes, Sir. We did. Until two days ago. Then NASA made their decision and McKenzie and James changed their minds,”

“I can’t make NASA change the contract awards. You know that.”

“Yes, Sir. I’m well aware of that. I’m meeting with the Senior Staff in a few minutes and we’ll think of something. Something legal.”

“Damn right. It has to be legal.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Leo, I don’t have to tell you how personal this bill is to me. It is the most meaningful thing I have done so far in my Presidency and I can’t let two asshole Representatives show their backsides and keep me from doing this.”

“I understand that, Sir. And I’ll do everything in my power to get over this bump. Once we get to the House itself, the bill will pass overwhelmingly bipartisan. The opinion polls show an 75% favorable rate across the country for this legislation and you know as well as I do that most legislators wouldn’t dare vote against something so popular. Not if they want to be reelected. So just give Josh and me a few days to work this out.”

“You do it, Leo. Get it done.”

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

Leo turned and went back to his office, not knowing quite how he was going to get it done but determined to find a way.


	16. Chapter 16

“Okay, Josh, Sam, Toby, put your thinking caps on. We have to find a way to either give these two people something similar to what they want or somehow peel off those 20 Representatives that say they’re supporting the two that are blocking the bill out of committee.”

The meeting in Leo’s office had been going on more than an hour with very little progress. Every option discussed was either too outrageous or just a little too shady to be done in the President’s name.

“Josh, have you polled these 20 to see what it would take them to change their committee vote to yes?”

“No. They won’t return my calls. And when I tried to see a few of them in their offices, their staff wouldn’t let me past their outer offices.”

“Damn.”

Sam spoke up. “Why not use our greatest weapon?”

“What’s that?” Leo asked.

“The President.”

“What about the President and his granddaughter?” Toby responded. “Invite those 20 over here for a meeting with the President and Annie and let the two of them tell their personal stories to the group and see if that would change their vote?”

Leo shook his head. “The President yes. But no way would he or Liz allow Annie to be used that way. No way in hell. Trust me.” Leo was thinking back to his encounter with the First Lady a number of months ago.

“Leo, that’s the only thing left. Let them see how the bullying affect people personally.” Toby was pleading his case. “Appeal to their emotions. If we can win over the majority of these 20, we can get this bill out of committee, and then the House can pass it overwhelmingly.”

Leo was still against it. And he knew the President would go ballistic with the thought of using his granddaughter for political purposes. “Toby, there has to be an alternative we haven’t thought of. There just has to be another way.”

“Leo, we have spent a lot of time going over many options. Right now, I don’t see any others that would work.” Toby was getting frustrated. He didn’t understand Leo’s reluctance in at least bringing it to the President’s attention.

“What’s the problem with it, Leo?” Josh asked.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, you guys. Just understand, it’s not an option.”

Josh stood. “Well Leo, if you won’t bring it to the President’s attention, I will.”

Leo stood. “NO, YOU WON’T!”

The others stared at their boss. It was so rare that Leo yelled, even rarer that he yelled at them that they were startled when he did it this time. Something or someone had him totally rattled.

Leo sat down. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. Let’s just table the discussion for now. I’ll call you back later, okay?”

“Sure boss.” The three left the office, unsure why their normally calm boss was so upset, but the last thing they were going to do was ask him why. Maybe later he would share but until then, no one would risk bringing the topic up.

After the door closed, Leo leaned back in his chair, took off his glasses, and closed his eyes. Why had he yelled at those guys? They were only trying to solve a big problem with a reasonable solution. But their reasonable solution would only bring trouble in the nature of an irate Abbey Bartlet down on him. He hated that that would be the result, but he just didn’t want to test the waters again. And the last thing he could do was share the true reason for his hesitancy on approaching the President with the staff. That was against all ethical and privacy codes. One did not tattle about the President’s wife to the Senior Staff. Hell no!

He didn’t hear the knock and therefore didn’t recognize the fact that the President was standing before his desk looking at him.

“Leo, is everything okay?”

Leo jerked his eyes open and stood up suddenly. “Sorry, Mr. President. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Obviously. But that’s okay. I happened to overhear a raised voice in here a few minutes ago and it sounded a lot like yours. Want to talk about it?”


	17. Chapter 17

“Uh, Mr. President, that…was nothing.”

“Leo, you don’t lie very well.” Jed sat down facing the desk, motioning Leo to do the same. “You rarely raise your voice so it must have been something. What’s the matter?”

“Mr. President. I was in a meeting with Josh, Sam and Toby and I just got mad at something.”

“What?”

“It was nothing.”

“Leo?”

There was a knock on the other side door. Margaret stuck her head in the door and started to say something and then saw who Leo was talking to.

“Oh, excuse me, Mr. President.”

“Margaret, can you please see we’re not disturbed?”

“Sure, Leo.” She closed the door.

“Leo, If I have to order you to tell me what got you so mad I will, but I don’t want to so please just say it.”

Leo looked down at his desk. He realized that there was really no way out at the moment. But he needed one more person in the room before he told the President what was going on.

“Mr. President, before I explain it, it also concerns Abbey so let’s call her and move this to the Oval, if that’s okay.”

Jed stood and so did Leo. “If that’s what it takes, then so be it. I’ll call Abbey and see if she’s available. You come on over.”

“I’ll be right there, Sir.”

Leo stuck his head in Margaret’s office and told her he would be in the Oval for at least the next hour and to cancel any appointments for that time period. He then walked into the Oval.

“Abbey’s on her way from the East Wing. I must say she’s as confused as I am but she’s coming. Want some coffee?”

‘No, what I want is a stiff drink’ Leo thought. “No thanks, Mr. President.”

They waited in silence for about five minutes until Abbey breezed in through the outer office door. She sat on one of the two sofas, across from Leo. “Hi, Leo. Jed said you needed to talk to both of us.”

“Yes, and I don’t know what your reaction will be to my proposal, but know the Senior Staff and I have looked at multiple solutions to the issue and can’t come up with any other one than this. This was proposed initially by a Senior Staff member but has the backing of all of them and myself.”

“Damn, Leo, get to the point,” Abbey replied, realizing that Leo was avoiding something.

“Mr. President, Abbey, you might know that the anti-bullying bill is being held up in the House Education Committee by two Congressmen who initially supported the bill. But, a few days ago, NASA did not award their districts an expected science award valued at 15 million dollars apiece and they have decided to pull their support of the bill in retaliation. Now, we don’t need their two votes, but 20 of their colleagues on the committee have said they will change their yes votes in support of these two Congressmen and, without their yes votes, the bill will die in Committee. We have overwhelmly positive support once it gets to House floor to pass the bill, but it has to get to the floor.”

“Leo, remember I was married to a Congressman for a number of years. I understand how all this works, “Abbey said with a grin.

“Yes, Abbey, I know that. So the staff looked at all the options, legal ones,” glancing toward the President, “and came up with the only one that made sense with the number of Congressmen that needed to be swayed. We thought if they came to White House and listened to the President and Annie tell their stories in person, then they might have more of an emotional attachment to the bill and possibly change their vote to yes and vote to send the bill to the floor.”

Leo paused, trying to gauge the reaction of the other two people in the room.

Abbey leaned back on the sofa and took a deep breath. “Oh.”

Jed took a deep breath and looked at his wife, trying to gauge her reaction.

“Leo, can you leave us alone for a few minutes?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll be in my office when you need me.” He got up, walked through his door, and shut it tight.


	18. Chapter 18

“Abbey, say something.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Something. What are you feeling right now?”

“Mixed feelings. Anger, sorrow, pity, confusion, hell I don’t really know.”

“You do know that eventually it would be between Liz, Doug and Annie to make the choice.”

“Yeah, but it’s our choice to bring it to their attention.” She got up and began pacing around the office. “Is there any other way to get this out of committee? Do we have to keep bringing a child into the public eye? Our child? Granted she’s almost 16, but she’s still our child.”

Jed stood and went to her side. He took her hand and squeezed it. “You know if there was any other way Leo would have found it. He didn’t want to go down this path. I had to threaten to order him to tell me what was eating at him. I heard him yell at the Senior Staff and I had to go in and find out what was wrong. You know Leo doesn’t yell, so I had to find out what the hell was going on. He wouldn’t tell me until he told us both at the same time.”

“But Jed, Annie has relived it already so many times. Does she really need to do so in front of strangers? Just to get a stinking bill passed?”

She saw the hurt in his eyes as she said those words. “Oh babe, I’m sorry. I know how much this bill means to you. It means a lot to me as well. I didn’t mean to say stinking bill. It was just a slip of the tongue.”

“It’s okay.”

“Jed, I really have mixed feelings. If I recommend this to Liz, I want to do it with a clear conscience. Can I have time to think about it? Can we talk later?”

“Sure. Why don’t we plan on having a special dinner at seven and then we’ll have all night to talk? You order something really fabulous and wear something nice and we’ll talk. Sounds good?”

She leaned against his chest. “Sounds good. I’ll see you at seven. Don’t be late.” She placed a light kiss on his lips and walked out the way she came.

Jed shrugged and went to tell Leo that he would have to wait a few more hours for the decision. Somehow, he figured that Leo would be okay with that.

But the world interfered with the best laid plans. He and Leo were called to the Situation Room to deal with a situation in the Pacific and didn’t get out until out until almost eight.

When they got back to the Oval Office, Jed looked at the time and said, “Oh, shit. Leo, I’ve got to go.”

“Go where, Sir?”

“Abbey and I planned a special dinner tonight to talk over the situation with Annie and I was supposed to be there at seven. It’s almost eight. You know how she is about dinner plans.”

Leo grinned. “Yes, Sir. You better get on up there. I’ll finish up things down here. Have a good evening.”

“Thanks, Leo. I owe you.”

Grabbing his briefcase, he quickly made his way to the Residence.

Coming down the hallway, Jed braced himself for the usual harsh words from his wife that came from missing a special dinner. He paused at the double doors, took a deep breath, and opened them, expecting an upset wife to meet him. Instead, only low volume Frank Sinatra music met him. He saw the dinner laid out next to the sofa and the unlit candles and then his gaze went over to the bed, expecting to see his wife asleep, but the bed was empty. He closed the outer door, put his briefcase on the floor by the door, and checked the bathroom. Nobody was there. He checked the closets, but they were empty as well.

Finally, he noticed the door to the balcony was open. As he walked over, he glanced at the table again and noticed one wine glass and the bottle missing. Now he understood why he was met with silence.

Reaching the door, he quietly went outside. Abbey was laid out on a chaise, the empty bottle and a half-filled glass by her side. She was asleep, covered by a throw. Asleep or passed out. Jed was going to find out very quickly. He sat down on the chaise next to her and shook her shoulder.

“Abbey. Abbey. Hon. Wake up.” With no response, he raised the volume of his voice. “Abbey, it’s Jed. Wake up.” With a few more prods, she began to stir and finally opened her eyes.

“Hi. I guess I fell asleep.”

“Yeah. Here let me help you up. It’s freezing cold out here.” Jed took the throw off and put his arms underneath hers and almost lifted her upright. “Come on, Abbey. You have to help me a little bit. That’s it.”

With a great deal of effort, he got her inside and to the side of the bed.

“Abbey, why did you drink the whole bottle?”

“I was waiting on you.”

“You wait on me all the time. And you don’t drink the whole bottle.” Jed had gone to her closet and found some sweat pants and a loose tee shirt. With some difficulty, he was able to get her suit off and into her bedclothes.

As he laid her between the covers, he asked her again. “Abbey, what’s wrong? Why did you drink the whole bottle?”

“We’re getting old, Jed.”

He realized he wasn’t going to get a straight answer from her tonight so he just put her under the covers and kissed her goodnight. She was instantly asleep.

He stepped back and looked at her. Whatever was bugging her would have to come out later. It wasn’t going to come out tonight.

He took off his coat and slung it over the chair. Looking over the dinner, he noted she had ordered one of his favorites-veal with mushroom sauce over risotto and even chocolate mousse for dessert. Although cold, he wasn’t going to let it go to waste. He picked up the plate and made his way to the kitchen to warm it up. Pouring a glass of milk, Jed sat down in the kitchen and ate the special meal by himself. That wasn’t the plan for the evening, but it was going to have to suffice for now.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Jed’s alarm went off at 6:00 am. He shut it off and threw back the covers. Sitting up on the side of the bed, the memory of last night came back to him. He turned around to see how Abbey was and was surprised to find her side empty. It was then he heard the shower running.

‘Oh hell, might as well get this over with now,’ he thought as he got up.

“Abbey, good morning. How do you feel?” Jed asked as he entered the bathroom.

“I was waiting for that question,” she yelled over the sound of the shower.

“Well, after last night, you knew it was coming.”

The shower was turned off and the curtain pulled back. As Abbey reached for the towel, Jed really tried to keep his body from reacting at the sight of his naked wife.

“I was tired last night and you were late. I just over drank. That’s all.”

“You don’t normally finish off a bottle through.”

“Well, who else was I going to drink with except myself? There was nobody else here.”

Jed could tell she was itching for an argument and he was too. But he really didn’t want one that bad. He wanted something else worse.

“Come here sweet thing. Can we save the argument for later? Right now I have something else on my mind.” He grabbed her arm with one hand and took her towel with the other.

She grinned and fell into his arms. “And pray tell what that would be?”

“Well, maybe you could tell me once we go back to bed.” He kissed her hard and forced his tongue through her now open lips.

She broke the lock. “Jed, we both have appointments this morning.”

“Well, I have an appointment with my wife right now. It’s much more important than any ambassador or general.”

She pushed him away. “If you had come home at a decent hour last night, this wouldn’t be a problem. But I can’t. I have to leave at seven. Got a speech downtown at eight. What about tonight? I have a little something I can wear that I’m sure will get a rise out of you very quickly.” Grinning broadly, she took the towel off the floor and went into the bedroom to get dressed.

“Damn woman. Teases me and then leaves me hot and bothered. Guess it will be a cold shower this morning.”

After showering and eating breakfast alone, Jed made his way to the office. He put his briefcase on his desk and walked over to Leo’s office. Knocking once, he walked in without waiting for Leo’s response.

“Leo, I wanted to…Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had a meeting going on. I’ll leave.”

Leo and Toby stood up together.

“Mr. President, don’t leave. In fact, you might want to hear what Toby has to say.”

“Toby, what is it?”

Toby had always said exactly what he thought to the President of the United States. He had never held back and that had rankled Jed many times. So now he braced himself for the onslaught.

“Mr. President, I was the person yesterday that made the suggestion that maybe you and your granddaughter speak directly to the 20 Congressmen that are threatening to join with McKenzie and James to block the bullying bill from coming out of Committee.”

“Well Toby, Leo mentioned the suggestion, but he didn’t say who had made it.”

“Yes, Sir. Well. I made it initially and everyone agreed it was a good one. But Leo was initially against it. But I understand he did bring it to yours and Mrs. Bartlet’s attention.”

“He did. Toby, where is this leading?”

“Well, I was thinking that if there was an objection to bringing your granddaughter into the discussion, maybe we could bring some of the other bullying victims that testified before the Committee in Dallas to the White House to meet with the Congressmen in person to share their stories. It would still have the same effect, but would not involve your granddaughter or your family.”

Jed looked over at Leo for any kind of reaction but, as usual, Leo’s face was blank.

“Well, Toby, I think that is an excellent alternative. Leo and I will look at all of the options and get back to you and the rest of the Senior Staff. Leo, is there anything else?”

“No, Sir. Thank you, Mr. President.”

“Thank you, Leo. I’ll be in my office when you are available.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Jed turned and went back into the Oval, closing the door between the offices to give Leo some privacy to finish his meeting with Toby.

Toby’s suggestion was a good one and would solve the Abbey problem. But if Annie ever found out that her grandmother had blocked her from arguing her case, and she had wanted to, there could be hard feelings between the two of them. He felt that Annie should be given the option to choose what she wanted to do. She was almost 16 and had a lot of emotion already vested in this bill. She had expressed to her grandfather on many occasions how bad she wanted this bill to pass and be signed into law so others in her situation could be helped.

So, the dilemma still existed. And Jed still didn’t know which way to go.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adult Content-Jed and Abbey make up for the missed opportunity from the previous evening

It was 7:30 and time to leave the business of the people behind. Abbey had called him a few hours earlier and told him a surprise was waiting for him once he was finished for the day.

“Charlie!”

“Yes, Sir?”

“You can go home. I won’t need you anymore. I’m going to the Residence for the rest of the evening.”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Mr. President.”

As soon as the Portico door shut, Charlie reached for the phone. He had been asked by the First Lady to notify her that the President was on his way upstairs. Of course, Charlie had not been told why, but he had been around them long enough to guess why the President would be busy for the rest of the evening.

As Jed reached the doors to the bedroom, he jokingly told the two agents that no one was to disturb them tonight, no matter the excuse. Of course, they had heard that statement before and they nodded their understanding. However, they also knew if the Chief of Staff or their boss demanded entrance there was little they could do to block them.

Jed closed the doors behind him and immediately noted the dimmed lights in the room and only a single candle burning on the table between the sofa and the chairs in the sitting area. An open champagne bottle sat in an ice bucket with two glasses placed next to it. Frank Sinatra music was coming from the CD player. His eyes traveled to the bed, which had been turned down and rose petals spread across the sheets. A dead giveaway for what Abbey had in mind for the evening.

He debated whether to bring up the Annie question now or wait for later. Leo needed an answer soon. The committee vote was only a few days away. But he quickly decided not to. Jed was selfish when it came to sex and was not about to waste this opportunity. He desired Abbey more than a fight.

After putting his briefcase down, he took off his jacket and loosened his tie, still searching for the main object of the evening.

“Abbey, where are you?”

“I’m here. Are you ready for me?” Her voice came from the bathroom.

“Well, I’ve been ready for you since this morning. What do you want me to do now?

He heard some laughter coming from the bathroom. “Well, first, I would have you lose your clothes, then put on that robe on the chair, and then maybe pour us some champagne. Let me know you’ve done that.”

“I think I can do that.”

He loved when they played games with each other. He followed her directions and after pouring two glasses of champagne, he replied, “I’m ready.”

“Well, good. Because I’m very ready.”

The music changed and Elton John’s ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight?’ started playing. 

She appeared from the bathroom, dressed in a black, silk teddy that left very little to Jed’s imagination. “I told you this morning that I had something that would get a rise out of you. Am I doing that?”

Jed felt some movement of his lower body. “Yeah, I think so. Why don’t do come a little closer so you can check it out yourself?”

As she walked closer, he saw that her breasts were protruding from the silk ribbons tied underneath them and the short length was not hiding much from the thighs downward.

“How’s this for making you rise?”

Jed swallowed hard, trying to get his words out. For a man used to smooth speech, he was having difficulty putting words together. “Here, take this glass before I drop it.” He leaned in and kiss her hard, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth.

As she leaned into him, she felt him as well. Her task had been successful. As they broke apart for air, she took a big sip of champagne and smiled.

“I love you.”

He was already busy kissing her ear and moving down her neck to her exposed breasts. He mumbled something.

“What did you say?”

He pulled back enough to say, “I love you, too.”

“Maybe we need to put down these glasses.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Together, they moved toward the table by the chairs and they somehow managed to put down the semi full glasses without spilling any of the liquid.

“Do you think we need to take this to the bed?”

“I do.” 

They started moving towards the bed. He pushed her until she fell backwards across the bed. Jed fell across her and started kissing her neck, focusing on the hollows where he knew she would tremble as he progressed.

“Oh, God, Jed. Let’s get fully in the bed. This has to be hurting your back.”.

“You’re so thoughtful.”

“Aren’t I?”

Removing their few clothes, they repositioned themselves on the bed.

“Much better, Abbey. Much better” as he started to suck her nipples.

She rubbed his back with her hands and pulled him as close as he could physically be as ‘The Power of Love’ drifted from the CD player. The music only served to intensify the feelings between the two of them.

He felt her start to tremble under his touch and knew to move to the next step.

His fingers moved downward, over her smooth stomach and inserting them between her legs, searching for that one spot that would send her over the edge. She pulled him closer as she squeezed her legs around his body.

“I need you.”

“Whatever.” He readjusted and inserted himself inside her. Quick, rapid back and forth actions only increased her pleasure. Soon, the tremors peaked. She arched her back and cried out.

“You too, Jed. I need you, too.”

He felt her squeeze him and it didn’t take him long to release, His spasms were just seconds behind hers. They both felt the pleasure in their bodies releasing almost simultaneously and knew the pleasuring of their partner. In the quiet time that followed, they each savored the tingling of their bodies and the gradual return to their semi- normal state. Once their bodies seemed to return to normal, Jed slipped out and rolled over on his back.

Still enjoying the pleasure, no words were spoken for some time.

Finally, Abbey got up and went to the bathroom. When she returned, she had put on a robe and walked over to the table with the champagne.

“Want another glass of champagne?”

“Yeah,” Jed replied lazily.

“Come and get it.”

“Okay.” He got out of bed, grabbed his robe, and took the glass from Abbey. He walked over to the CD player and looked through the CDs for a specific song. Once he found it, he turned to his wife and said, “Abbey, this is how I feel about you. No matter what happens this is how I feel.” He put the disc in the player and pushed the button.

By the time he had walked back over and sat down, the sound of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You’ was filling the bedroom.

Abbey could only cry at the sentiment that Jed was expressing.

“I love you.”

“I do too.” He leaned over and kissed her.

They sat in silence, just listening to the words and each thinking about how much the words meant to them as a couple. By the time the music ended, they each knew no matter what the future would bring, they would face it together.

After sitting in silence for a while, Jed decided to bring up the discussion about Annie.

“I talked to Leo this morning. He needs to have my answer about bringing Annie down real soon. The vote to bring it out of committee is going to be held in a few days.” He waited to see what Abbey’s response was going to be.

She looked into her glass and then back up at her husband. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it. I called Liz this afternoon and talked to her.”

“You what?”

“I know, we weren’t going to mention it to them until I had talked to you about it but I was so confused and I wanted to know what Liz thought and what she thought Annie would want. Annie is almost 16 and, ever since that incident, she has shown such maturity that I didn’t want to sell her short. I’ve been seeing her as a child and, as Liz reminded me, she’s really grown up since then. She may be 15 in age, but she’s really acting more like a young adult now. Liz and Doug are so proud of her and how she’s behaving. She’s very active in school groups and community groups and she keeps telling her mother how much she wants this bill to pass. Did you know that?”

Jed remained silent. What conversations he had had with his granddaughter were private and he wanted to honor that bond.

“Anyway. That gave me a new perspective on the ‘child’ I thought Annie was. Jed, she’s no longer that child. She’s a young woman, or at least becoming a young woman. So I asked Liz what she thought and she said that it was all up to Annie to decide. So late this afternoon, after Annie came home from school, she called me and told me she would love to come down here and talk with the Congressmen about her experience. She wouldn’t feel used. She would feel useful. What could I say to that? What can you say to that but yes?”

Jed’s heart exploded with love toward his entire family. Toward Abbey for seeking different perspectives. Toward Liz and Doug for recognizing growth in their child, and toward Annie for overcoming a horrible experience and making such an incredible change in her life and benefiting others with it.

After a short pause, Jed spoke. “Are you hungry?”

Abbey smiled slyly. “Yeah. For you.”

He returned her smile. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Dinner was forgotten as the First Couple went back to their personal business.


	21. Chapter 21

Josh arranged the meeting with the 20 Congressmen for the next Saturday so Annie wouldn’t miss any school. Leo personally invited McKenzie and James, but they declined.

Liz flew down with Annie on Friday night so they could have a visit with Jed and Abbey before the meeting on Saturday afternoon. Annie had told her Mom that she was looking forward to it but, as it drew closer, she began to realize how much was riding on it and began to get nervous.

At Saturday breakfast in the Residence kitchen, she talked it over with her grandparents.

“Grandpa, I’m getting nervous about this meeting. I am just realizing that everything is riding on me persuading these really important people how important it is to support this bill.”

The adults glanced at each other over their coffee cups, trying to mentally decide how to handle Annie’s logical statement.

Jed put down his cup and reached for his granddaughter’s hand. “Annie, don’t worry about impressing these people. That is not why I asked you to come. I only want you to tell your story just like you’ve always told it. Just tell it like you did in Dallas. Just like you did to that reporter. Now, they might ask you some questions. If they do, answer them honestly. I’ll be there and I won’t let them ask you any deeply personal questions or any hurtful questions. Before you go in, I’m going to talk to them and explain some rules so I hope that won’t happen. Then, after you’re finished, you can leave and we have invited some other people from the Dallas meeting to come in and relate their experience. There will be no talk about the specifics of the bill or any negotiations of any kind today. That has already occurred. This is strictly to give these people a personal perspective on how it feels to be bullied. Your story has already been published. I’m hoping there won’t be any questions so you should spend a relatively short time in the room. How does that sound?”

“Better.” Annie sighed with relief. “Is CJ around today?”

“Of course.”

“Good. I think I’ll go downstairs and say hello.” She got up from the table. “I’ll be back in time to get dressed.”

After she left the room, the adults all smiled at each other.

“Liz, Annie sure has grown up over these past months,” Abbey told her oldest daughter.

“Yes, Mom, she has. I was so scared at the hospital, but it has turned out so well. She is certainly no longer a little girl. Hell, she’s almost an adult.”

“Well, Liz, she’ll always be my first baby,” Jed smiled as he said that to his original first baby.

“Amen,” was the response of both women.


	22. Chapter 22

By 1:00 all of the Congressmen were seated around the table in the Roosevelt Room, with Josh and Toby hovering around the sides of the room.

The door opened and the President entered the room. The group stood.

“Please sit.” The President sat in one of the two empty seats. “Thank you coming today. I’m glad you’re willing to listen to the personal stories and willing to be open minded when it comes to possibly changing your perspective on the increasingly serious problem of bullying in this country. Senate Bill 20-456 is the first step toward addressing that problem. Notice I said the first step, but we have to start somewhere. Many of your fellow Congressmen strongly support this bill and I hope by listening to a few of the victims, you can vote yes in the Committee next week. The first one to speak is a person that is very dear to me, my only granddaughter, Annie Westin. You may have already read her story in the newspaper, but I hope listening to her in person will help to change your opinion.

First, some rules. You may not agree with my politics. That’s fine. But you will not take out any of your differences with me on my granddaughter. She wasn’t elected to this office and I will not allow anyone in this room to act negatively toward her. If you do, you will be escorted out by the Secret Service Uniformed Police. The last thing you want to do is make a grandfather mad. Congressmen Smith and Wilson know how a grandfather feels about their grandchildren, don’t you?”

The two gray haired men nodded their heads.

“And questions will be allowed at the end, but any questions of a deeply personal or hurtful nature will not be allowed. And you ask who decides that? I do. I will be in the room the entire time she is. Do I make myself clear?”

Jed looked around the room just to make sure his points were being made clear.

“After Annie is finished, we have invited other speakers who have been the target of bullying to come in and also share their experiences. Josh and Toby will stay in the room for those presentations and the same ground rules apply except they are the ones to determine if any of the rules have been broken. These individuals are in varying stages of healing from emotional experiences and they will not be harassed.” Jed paused to give the Congressmen a chance to digest the guidelines before continuing. “If everyone is ready, Josh, will you show Annie in please?”

Annie sat by her grandfather and presented her story once again, not leaving out any part of it. She relayed every emotion, positive or negative, that she felt along the way, including the shame she felt when she woke up in the hospital and had been told that she had almost died from her actions at the party. Jed looked around the room during her presentation to see what, if any, facial expressions the men were expressing at her words. He could see that a few of them were being moved by the impact of her story but truthfully, it was hard to determine if that meant that if it was enough to change their intent to vote no in the Committee hearing. However, he could tell that the two grandfathers, Wilson and Smith, were taking the story pretty hard. They were probably putting themselves in the President’s place and thinking about almost losing one of their grandchildren to this ugly bullying.

After Annie finished, Jed opened the floor to questions. Congressman Richard Jones, from North Dakota, who had always fought the President on almost every issue since he had been sworn in, had the first question.

“Annie, bullying is a big issue in schools today. Why didn’t you seek some help when it first started and how would this bill make a difference?”

Annie looked at her grandfather, who nodded to go ahead, and then back at the Congressman. “I didn’t know to seek help from school officials. And I wasn’t telling my parents. I thought I could handle it myself. I only told my best friend. And this bill will help because it will put assistance and information on how to get that assistance in every school. It will also make it mandatory for information to be made available to every student in middle and high schools.”

“One more question. Isn’t it true that you were, in reality, trying to commit suicide so you wouldn’t have to face your family?”

At that question, the President’s face turned beet red with anger. Josh and Toby gasped and quite a few of the Congressmen did as well.

“Annie, would you please excuse us for a moment?” Jed knew that however Annie felt about the question, Abbey and Liz were waiting in the Oval Office to help her deal with it. He had to deal with Congressman Jones right now.

“Sure.” She stood up and left the room.

Jed stood. The other people in the room did too. “Please sit. I have a few words to say. Then the White House Uniformed Police will walk Congressman Jones out.”

Josh had already left to get the police so Toby was left to try and prevent the President from murdering the Congressman, which he felt sure was what the President desired to do.

“Richard, I am using your first name only because I cannot stand to use your full name because that would mean I am addressing you with respect, which right now I do not have. I warned everyone before we started about doing what you just did. Now, I don’t know if you did this intentionally. I would like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but based on previous behaviors, I have a feeling that this was intentional on your behalf. You are a despicable human being. What you have done to a 15-year-old is absolutely horrible. She is still recovering from the trauma of the experience and although she’s my granddaughter, she’s still a victim. I only pray that none of your children ever experience such a horrible thing.

I can guarantee you that I will personally campaign for the Democratic opponent in your next primary and do everything in my power to defeat you. I will donate any legal amount of money and get my friends to do the same to your opponent. I will ask Leo, Josh, and Toby to tell the House Speaker and Committee Chairmen of your despicable behavior here and hopefully they will strip you of any membership or chairmanship you may hold. If the press learns of this, which by the way will not be from this White House, and asks us to confirm what happened, we will confirm that you said it. Now,” Jed motioned for the Uniformed Police that Josh had brought into the conference room, “Please escort the Congressman to the outside door and, as long as I am President, he is never, and I mean never, to set foot inside the White House again. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Sir. Congressman, come with us, please.”

Congressman Jones glared at the President but left with the police.

Jed sat back down. “Josh, will you please bring Annie back? We will continue in a more pleasant environment.”


	23. Chapter 23

A few weeks later, the crowd in Leo’s office was watching C-Span as the crucial vote was televised. The President, the First Lady, Leo, and the Senior Staff was stuffed in the space waiting for the final vote on the anti-bullying bill. A special guest was also present. Jed had flown Annie down to watch the vote with her grandparents in the White House.

Josh assured everyone it was going to be a slam dunk passage but Toby, as usual, refused to pop any champagne bottles until the final vote was tallied.

“I assure you Mr. President, the final vote will be 415 to 20,” Josh was saying, ecstatic that the vote was going to be a landslide.

“What happened to those 20? Why didn’t they vote for us?”

“Mr. President, don’t be so greedy.”

“I’m joking, Josh, Great work, Let’s just wait and see. Okay?”

Everyone was silent as the clerk finished calling the roll and the final tally was announced.

“Mr. Speaker, the final tally for SB20-456 is 421 ayes, 14 nays. The bill is passed.”

Leo’s office erupted into cheers. Annie jumped up and hugged her grandfather and then her grandmother. The Senior Staff high fived each other and then high fived the Chief of Staff, the President and the First Lady. Toby had already popped the champagne corks and started pouring glasses and passing them around. Leo took his club soda and, in deference to the underage person in the room, apple cider was passed to her.

When all the glasses were full, the President clinked on the side of his glass for silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen, a toast. Several, in fact. First, to my Senior Staff for all their hard work in getting this bill off the ground and through to final passage.

Next, to Josh Lyman and his special skill in corralling so many Senators and Congressmen early on and making them believe in this issue. Their belief helped spread the word among their colleagues and impacted the unbelievable landslide votes in both houses of Congress.

Finally, to my granddaughter Annie Westin. Although she suffered in the beginning, she persevered and believed that her experience could make a difference in other people’s lives. She voluntarily shared her experiences with many people she did not know so that others would have opportunities for assistance and justice that were not available to her. I want her to know that her grandmother and her grandfather are so very proud of her. In her honor, this bill will, from this day forward, be known as “Annie’s Bill”. Annie, I love you so much.”

Annie stepped forward and tightly hugged her grandparents.

There was not a dry eye in the room.

THE END


End file.
